CONGRATULATIONS  ...........

 

.........to former Vicar of Bunbury, the Reverend Timothy Atkins.  On June 4th, Timothy celebrated the 50th Anniversary of his ordination to the Priesthood - his Golden Jubilee as a Priest!

 

Timothy served as an Officer in the Royal Marines during World War II. In 1944 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, an honour which is not awarded lightly. (Typical of the man, he has always been quite modest about this!)

 

He gained his Bachelor of Arts degree at Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1946 and went on to study Theology at Ridley Hall. He was awarded an M.A. degree in 1952, after being made a Deacon in 1949 and ordained Priest in 1950.

 

Timothy’s first curacy was served at “Melton Mowbray, with Burton Lazars, Freeby (and other townships)” in the Diocese of Leicester. In 1951 he moved north to Preston, where he served a second curacy for three years.

 

In 1954 he was given his own living as Vicar of Baxenden, moving on to Mildenhall to become Rector there in 1958.

 

Timothy came to St. Boniface in 1963, inducted to the living by the late Bishop Gerald Ellison on March 30th. He spent 24 years as our Vicar, and for the last two years of his ministry here he was also Rural Dean of Malpas.

 

Rosemary and Timothy are still living at the home in Farndon to which they retired at the end of June, 1987.

 

Although “retired”, he is still very much “on active service” - still very much in demand in the Service of his Lord to which he was called all those years ago.

 

We congratulate Timothy on this marvellous record and thank God for his ministry, not least that part of his ministry spent in Bunbury.

 

Many of us knew his frequent and encouraging “Well done!”

 

What better can we say than,

 “Congratulations -  and well done!” to a truly “good and faithful servant”.

 

W.W.W.